"I will call them a let down" - Hall of Famer John Smoltz reveals MLB team that blew trade deadline chance despite dominant run

Several teams added important pieces at Thursday's trade deadline to bolster their roster. However, the Milwaukee Brewers were one of the least active teams in the market.

Former Atlanta Braves pitcher and first-ballot Hall of Famer John Smoltz discussed the "biggest losers from the trade deadline" in Saturday's episode of "Flippin' Bats with Ben Verlander" podcast.

When Verlander asked Smoltz about the biggest losers from the deadline, the legendary pitcher named the Milwaukee Brewers as the team that let him down the most because of their lack of activity.

"The Milwaukee Brewers are having a fantastic year, and if I'm their fan base, I'm getting air coming out of the tire, I'm deflated," Smoltz said (7:00 onwards). "That doesn't mean they can't go on and go to the postseason.

"But if you're a fan of the Brewers, you're like, 'Please, we are having a monster year, if we add this or that and not just one player, a catcher.' I wouldn't call them the biggest losers. I would just call them a letdown.

The Brewers have surprised many this season and are the best team in baseball with a 67-44 record. They occupy the top spot in the National League Central, holding a 2.0 lead over the Chicago Cubs. Smoltz feels their strong run could have made them a contender if they strengthened at the trade deadline.

"How many times can you do this? How many opportunities do you think you're gonna have? They're having an unbelievable year; there's nothing to take away from the Milwaukee Brewers and what they've put forth this year. But as the trade came and went, you can make an argument that they were one of the teams that barely did anything to increase their chances of a really good year."

Brewers thrash Washington Nationals for historic sweep

The Brewers might not have added any major pieces to the roster at the deadline but the NL Central team are not showing any signs of slowing and Milwaukee blew away the Washington Nationals on Sunday.

Milwaukee thrashed the Nationals 14-3 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep. During the series, the Brewers had 56 hits, tying their franchise record for most hits in a three-game stretch, driving in 38 runs.

The blistering start to August comes on the back of a 17-7 record in July, which included an 11-game winning streak.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash